Celebrating 50 Years of Women in Ministry

By Jane White-Stevens

As child I used to play church and pretend I was the pastor but I never thought that I could be one. I had never met a clergywoman.

At age 26 after a three-year stint as a missionary in Malaysia, I attended Duke Divinity School from 1968 to 1971. It was there that a professor opened our eyes to the discrimination against women, and challenged us women to become pastors. Out of a class of 100 students, 15 were women. I was the only woman who pursued pastoral ministry. The others chose the more traditional tracks for women in the 1960s - Christian education or counseling.

I was ordained Elder in Wisconsin in 1973 and moved to Indiana for my husband's job in 1975. In the early years, the District Superintendent took great delight in introducing me to the Pastor Parish Committee. People were "thrilled" to meet their new pastor, until they realized she wasn't my husband. After the initial shock, some churches thought it wouldn't be so bad to have a woman pastor. They said, "Maybe we could pay her less."

One of my first ministerial continuing education events was at a Fort Wayne monastery. When I arrived, they were surprised to see a woman. Everything went smoothly though, until I needed to use the restroom. Generally at pastors' meetings, it was lonely being the only woman. As I juggled my roles of pastor, wife and mother of two toddlers, I was often exhausted. I did funerals while 9 months pregnant (yes, that is possible) and nursed a baby between services. When I felt like giving up, I chided myself by saying, "This isn't just for you! You're blazing a trail for the future of women in ministry."

It was refreshing to compare notes with other clergywomen at the National United Methodist Women's Caucus in the 1970s. I discovered that every one of us was greatly appreciated for conducting funerals, perhaps because of our sensitivity as women. I officiated at nearly a hundred.

In 1976, I was the token woman pastor on the General Council of Ministries, making major decisions for the church nationally. In Indiana at Annual Conference, we elected to General Conference a young pastor named Mike Coyner (now our bishop), the first African American and me. We three were definitely part of history that year, as we elected the first woman bishop, Marjorie Matthews. I loved being involved in affirmative action making the church more inclusive.

In 1982, I had a powerful spiritual experience and God changed my priorities giving me a burden for hurting people. I thank God for opening the doors for me to devote half my time to Hope Rescue Mission in South Bend, a ministry with those rejected by society. I also am blessed to serve as pastor of the 25-member Tamarack United Methodist Church in Mishawaka.

Despite the struggles and hardships along the way, my 35 years in ministry have been exciting and rewarding. God has blessed me so much. It is heartening to see so many women called to ministry today. God definitely has a special place for women in ministry.

Jane White-Stevens serves as pastor of the Tamarack United Methodist Church in Mishawaka, Ind.

Last updated on 25 Apr 2008

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